Lovesick School Girls
by IG5
Summary: Alice and Patchouli fight for Marisa's love. Set place in a high school, with some descriptive danmaku play as well.
1. Normal Routine

Before each chapter I'll explain a bit about the characters just so you don't stay in the dark.

As for the title of the story, Lovesick School Girls is just a filler until I can think of something better.

Alice Margatroid, I would say is a portrayal of me. Someone that is antisocial and always hates being second best.

Patchouli Knowledge, Patchy for short. Patchy is a portrayal of an annoying friend that I had. This entire story is based on real life events.

Marisa Kirisame, she has the innocent girl kind of thing going for her. Marisa is Patchouli's object of affection, and later on becomes Alice's as well.

Keine Kamishirasawa, or Ms. Kamishirasawa seeing as it is rude to call teachers by their first name. Canonically, she is a history teacher, so might as well make her the teacher in this story. She plays a more important role later on, but for now, is an insignificant character.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Normal Routine**

As I approached Moriya High School, a feeling of nervousness overwhelmed me. I wasn't a very social person in elementary school and that didn't change during my three years of middle school. I had always considered how boring the normal routine of life was, to go to school five days a week and nothing of interest would ever happen. Nevertheless, it was only three more years until university, but I highly doubted that anything would be different, minus the increased work load. With these thoughts in mind, I sighed and entered the establishment.

I glanced around the building to see all of its features. While wandering throughout the hallways, I glared dumbfounded at the building map. It was not until after 15 minutes did I locate my home room, and even so that was a complete accident. Shyly, I went inside the room. The classroom was very nostalgic to me, as it coincidentally looked like my middle school one. There were some major differences as well, and I couldn't help but to examine every inch of the room. Still deep in my train of thought, someone was walking to me.

"Hey Alice, how lucky are we to be in the same home room?"

The voice was unmistakably familiar to me; it was Patchouli.

Half conscious that I was conversing with her, I replied "I guess so."

Like I said before, I wasn't very social, and Patchy (My nickname for her) was one of the few friends that I had. I met Patchy during the last year of middle school. She had come from Scarlet Devil Private School and transferred into my home room halfway through the first semester. Patchy and I became fast friends, mainly because we were both anti social and we shared the interest of acquiring knowledge from books. Speaking of knowledge, I found it ironic that Patchy's last name was indeed Knowledge. Having a last name like Margatroid wasn't very appealing to me.

Our catching up was interrupted by the sound of the school bell. It was a very deep continuous honking noise, which made me wonder why in the world they were called bells in the first place. The teacher entered the room and introduced herself. Ms. Kamishirasawa seemed like the easy going kind of teacher, and I really didn't mind, just as long as the class was in order.

The first order of business was a seating plan, in which she randomly set up. I was to be sitting next to Marisa Kirisame, someone I knew from my elementary school. Patchy was sitting right across from me, as if we were opposites on a spectrum. Every once in a while I would glimpse at what Patchy was doing, and for the entire class she was just looking in my direction. Did I have something on my face? Rubbing my hands over my face repeatedly didn't cease her staring, so she probably wasn't diverting her attention to me.

After class, as I was heading towards the exit Patchy stopped me.

"You are so lucky!" she exclaimed.

I was silent for a bit trying to comprehend what could make Patchy so excited as if I had won the lottery.

"You get to sit next to Marisa, and she is the pinnacle of cuteness! I mean I would just love to be with her alone and –"

"Hold it!" I cut her off before she could comment anything else. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't say anything risqué around me. You may be a pervert but I certainly am not."

"Don't worry Alice, you'll think the way I do sooner or later." she assured me.

I walked home pondering how Patchy could have finished that sentence. I decided that I wouldn't let Patchy say or do anything to Marisa for two reasons. The first reason was that because I knew Marisa from elementary school, even though she didn't go to the same middle school as I. Although I didn't know her very well, I still felt a connection which made me believe that it was my duty to preserve her innocence from the likes of Patchy. My second reason was solely because I had always been a second banana to Patchy. She had always taken my satisfaction from being the best in the class, and combined with her attitude, just made me explode from the inside. This was the perfect opportunity to finally beat Patchy at something, albeit not anything school related, but the sheer pleasure of Patchy losing was exhilarating enough for me.

The next day I went to class a bit earlier than Patchy did. Marisa was sitting there reading a book when I arrived. I decided to take this opportunity to converse with her, just to make Patchy jealous. After some idle conversation with Marisa, Patchy finally came, and when she witnessed what I was doing, the rage inside her built up. She tried to conceal her anger the best she could, but I could clearly see through this façade.

Perhaps this school year would not be as boring as I anticipated. I was sure that Marisa Kirisame would intensify the amount of fun I could derive from daily school life, and maybe this would be the beginning of a not so normal routine after all.


	2. The Kappa and the Tengu

This is a short chapter but it introduces two important characters.

Nitori Kawashiro, the Kappa of Youkai Mountain. I had two reasons to make Nitori a foil to Alice. Nitori is a girl that is shown to be very intelligent, as shown canonically in Mountain of Faith (She owns and uses a camoflauge device) and in Subterranian Animism (Seeks a new source of energy for the Kappa). Reason 2 also comes from Subterranian Animism, and that is Nitori is the final partner of Marisa, the other two being Alice and Patchy. It makes sense to include Nitori in their quarrel, albeit she doesn't have any interest in her.

Aya Shameimaru, the Tengu of Youkai Mountain. She is the rumour girl of a school, someone that likes spreading random gossip around. Many schools have a school newspaper or some varient of that concept, so it's fitting to make Aya head of that department. Aya is the annoying friend I have (I have many annoying friends) that likes doing things that don't concern her. She mainly does this for entertainment purposes, and will hitch along the ride until she grows bored of the current situation.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Kappa and the Tengu**

I can't say at all that anything of interest has happened so far. It has already been one semester and everything has remained the same as I predicted. Every class would follow the exact same pattern. I would arrive a bit earlier than Patchy, I would talk to Marisa about random things, and then Patchy would come walking in looking all jealous-like. Annoying Patchy had become one of the few things that I could enjoy on a daily basis, the others being working on my doll collection and reading books.

I knew from the very beginning that Patchy was a shy person, mainly because I'm one of her only friends. Besides having her head behind a book, there wasn't very much that was interesting about her. I mean if she likes Marisa so much, would it kill her to talk to her? Then again, I probably wouldn't allow it because of all the things that Patchy could be thinking. I'm surprised that Marisa hasn't noticed the constant staring after all this time, but I guess it was for the best.

"Hmm, 3.9375 GPA, same as always…" I had gotten this grade point average so many times that I remembered the number to the last decimal.

"4.0 GPA, same as always…" Patchy said with a sarcastic tone. Obviously this was a blow directed at me, remaining second best in class. Patchy had more bragging rights than me, but it was I who was the one that constantly reminded everyone of my awesomeness. Patchy's ego, as well as her perverted side would only show when talking with me.

"Just because you have a high GPA doesn't mean you're smart." I turned around and saw a blue haired girl behind me.

"Hey Nitori." Patchy said.

"Patchy, you know this girl?" I curiously asked.

"Yep, that's Nitori Kawashiro. She sits at the back of our class."

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Alice." I was surprised that I never noticed Nitori until now.

"I can't say the same for you unfortunately." Nitori said with smirk. "Must you always exemplify your high grades?"

"I don't see a problem with that, if you had high grades I'm sure you would too."

"Grades do not concern me. They are just a numerical value based on your performance in school. It doesn't measure intelligence in any way. I don't waste my precious time on school work. Instead, I spend it perfecting my beautiful inventions." Nitori replied, again with that annoying smirk.

"Why don't you go invent something useful, like a muffler?" I told Nitori with an increased pitch.

"Maybe I should! Then I would be doing everyone a favor and making you shut up!"

With that being said, we both stormed away in opposite directions, with Patchy standing there remaining confused about what just happened. When I went back to my desk, Aya was there to greet me.

"Well Margatroid, what's up?" Aya asked.

"If you're looking for gossip, I don't have any." I replied.

"Aw Alice, why you gotta be like that? We've been friends since elementary school and –"

"And you've remained just as annoying." I interrupted her. It's true that Aya Shameimaru is one of my oldest friends, but most of the time she just bugs me for homework help. It was either that or gossip, always with the gossip. Aya works for the school newspaper, the Bunbunmaru, and she is always looking for something of interest to add to it.

"Margatroid, you know Valentine's Day is coming up right?" Aya suddenly asked.

"Yeah, so what?

"Planning to buy a gift for anyone?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I have more important affairs to worry about." My reply was firm.

"So you're saying you don't like anyone? I never knew you were a sociopath!" Aya exclaimed loud enough for the entire class to hear.

"What? Who says I don't like anyone?"

"Ooh, so you do like someone!"

"Wai-" But before I could reply, she had left the room.

"SHAMEIMARU!"


	3. How UnLucky

The chapter title is supposed to have a slash in the selection box, but it doesn't. The point of the title if you cannot figure it out by reading the chapter is that the situation Alice was put in is both lucky and unlucky. The lucky aspect is going to the movies with Marisa, which would make Patchy extremely jealous, while the unlucky aspect is being stuck on the bus with the Kappa and the Tengu.

Marisa doesn't have much dialogue as the story progresses, but I still keep her trademark ~ze. Not sure if that is actually canon or not, but either way it fits her.

* * *

**Chapter 3: How Un/Lucky**

For a History class field trip, we had to go see a movie. There was no school bus, so we would have to get there on our own. Patchy was in a different History class than I was, and their class wasn't going. Marisa was also in another History class, but it was only Patchy's class which didn't go to this field trip. Seeing as this was another perfect opportunity to annoy Patchy, I decided to ask Marisa to go with me.

"Hey Marisa, here's the pen I borrowed yesterday." I said.

"Thanks ze~" She replied with her soft voice.

"Is your History class going to the field trip?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, why?"

"Want to go with me? That way in case we get lost then we aren't alone." My heart beat much slower anticipating an answer.

"Sure ze~" Just as she replied, Patchy walked into the classroom, jealous as usual. If only she knew what Marisa had just agreed to, her face would be all the redder.

On the day of the field trip, I was at the bus stop waiting when Marisa showed up. We exchanged hellos and waited patiently for the next bus. When it arrived however, the bus didn't stop and just went on. I could see that it was jam packed with people, the majority being students from our school. When the second bus arrived, we went on and took a seat. Looking around, I couldn't see anyone from our school, but after a more thorough search, I found two students. Unfortunately for me, it was Nitori and Aya, the two annoyances in my life.

"Ello Margatroid!" Aya said.

"Yes, hi…" I said sadistically.

"Oh ho ho Alice, who did you bring along?" Aya suggestively asked.

"Her? She's Marisa, a friend from my home room."

"Margatroid, now I understand what you mean when you said you don't not li-" I covered her mouth before she could finish.

"Would you excuse us for a moment?" I said while dragging Aya into the crowd of people to the back of the bus. Marisa looked confused while Nitori continued to tinker with her inventions.

"I hope you're not getting the wrong idea Aya."

"What? That you lik-" Once again I covered her mouth before she could finish.

"Listen you! I don't want gossip like this to ruin my reputation!"

"What reputation?"

"Just shut up and speak no more of this." I said while dragging her back to where Marisa and Nitori were.

"Looks like I've found a weakness in the great Alice Margatroid after all!"

"Nonsense, I have but one weakness and this is far from it." I hastily replied.

"Ooh, so you do have a weakness!"

"How do you always get this stuff out of me?"

"I'm the school's number one reporter for a reason!"

"Well this weakness isn't what you're thinking, so just forget about it." I said while returning to my seat."

The rest of the day was straightforward. We watched the movie, which wasn't very entertaining, but that's to be expected for a school field trip. After I said farewell to Marisa as she went her way, I headed home when Aya decided to give me another annoying visit.

"So Margatroid, that Nitori girl sure is interesting." Aya said from behind.

"What the…? How long were you following me?"

"Not long, don't worry."

"Well what about Nitori?" I asked perplexingly.

"I had an interesting conversation with her, that's all. It went something like this…"

* * *

"So Nitori…" I said

"What do you want, you Tengu?" Nitori asked rudely.

"Now just because I'm a Tengu and you're a Kappa doesn't mean we can't talk does it? I just want to know what you think about Alice."

"What do I think?" Nitori's pitch increased. "I think she's a simpleton whose smartness is only a façade and that she fails to realize what true genius is. She brags about how smart she is, only because she has a number that is greater than everyone else's. Maybe I should take her suggestion and make her a muffler after all."

"Don't waste your time with a muffler girl! You just need to know how to push the right buttons. It just so happens that Margatroid has one weakness that will make her cease her bragging."

"Is that so…?" Nitori appeared interested for the first time in this conversation.

"Yep. It's tried and true by yours truly! I only know a part of it, so I'll leave it to you to find out, since you claim to be such a genius!"

* * *

"Didn't I tell you to drop it?" I angrily asked.

"You said you wanted your life to be more interesting, and I'm just here to deliver. This is a chance to prove that you aren't the simpleton that Nitori claims you to be!"

"Magic Sign Artful Sacrifice..." I declared as I took out my spell card.

"Margatroid, you know the rules! No danmaku during school time!" Aya quickly said.

"I won't hesitate to blast your brains out the next chance I get just because you have become a constant nuisance to me." I put my spell card away and headed back to my home in the Forest of Magic.


	4. Into a Game

The things in this chapter actually happened in real life.

The phone call between Nitori and Aya is actually a messenger conversation that I have saved on the computer. I just changed the names to fit the situation.

My friend (Patchy) somewhat stalked the girl (Marisa), but I concluded that it was mainly an intimidating lie. The friend did "stalk" her several times, if we can call it that.

Hina is of no importance and I just put her in there because she was another Mountain of Faith character. Hina is a curse god, and how Alice silently curses Aya is a portrayal of that (I did that unintentionally, I only recently realized how coincedental that placement of words was).

* * *

**Chapter 4: Into a Game**

Valentine's Day had come and gone, and as expected, Patchy wasn't brave enough to buy Marisa a gift. I could have bought her a gift just to annoy Patchy some more, but then I wouldn't want Marisa to get the wrong idea. The daily conversations with her were enough to satisfy me.

While working on a school paper, I had an unexpected visit from none other than Nitori.

"Alice." Nitori promptly said.

"What is it?" I asked, still confused as to why she would stop playing with her inventions to talk to me.

"I heard from Hina that you fancy this girl. Could this be the weakness that the Tengu was talking about?" Nitori said with the usual smirk.

"Why does this concern you?" I said while silently cursing Aya.

"Because then I won't have to waste time inventing something to cover your mouth."

"I can assure you that any rumors about me are false." I told her with a different tone.

"And I can assure _you_ that by changing your tone like that, you are supporting my genius theory."

"Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions." I retorted as Nitori went back to her seat.

I hunted down Aya after school to see if Nitori had talked to her at all since the conversation we had at the movies. Unfortunately my assumptions had become a reality.

"Ello Margatroid!"

"Did Nitori come bug you about this supposed weakness I have?"

"She sure did. She asked me on the phone, and I still have a recording of it. Check it out if you want."

* * *

"Heh, you're trying really hard to crack Alice open aren't you?" I said.

"What do you mean? How?" Nitori inquired. "You mean the weakness thing that you know and I don't? I don't care, as I got an even better one, unless it's the same... If it is, I think you can confirm it. By the way, what did she say to you about me?"

"I dunno maybe, want confirm if they are the same?" I asked.

"But you already know mine, and the part you don't know Alice has confirmed for you."

"So what has Alice told you?"

"Alice doesn't tell me anything." Nitori firmly said.

"Ah but Alice told me that you know something so I'll assume that you know something about her secret."

"This is yet again, confirmation of my theory. But she didn't tell me anything. Hina enlightened me, and I composed my genius theory myself."

* * *

"I have this feeling that my life is being turned into a game by the likes of you two." I said awkwardly.

"But doesn't this make things more interesting?" Aya stated.

I was silent for a bit, contemplating the truth in that question. With nothing better to say, I frustratingly told Aya "This is all Patchy's fault!"

"Oh, how so?"

"I'll give you the gist of it. I'm talking and hanging out with Marisa as revenge against Patchy. Let's just say that Patchy wants to do some interesting things to Marisa, but I'm the obstacle preventing her from doing so. I'll defend Marisa even if it means a spell card battle with Patchy."

"Oh Alice, Patchy is better than you at school _and_ spell cards, there's no way you could compete with her in those basis."

"I can try"

"Just keep this in mind Margatroid. There's more to Nitori's actions than meets the eye."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I'll leave it to you to find out, since you claim to be such a genius!"

As I walked home through the Forest of Magic, I saw Patchy going the opposite way from a distance. I wondered why Patchy was here, seeing as she lived near the Scarlet Devil Private School, which is far from here. The curiosity consumed me and I ran to Patchy.

My question was to the point. "Patchy, what are you doing here?"

"Stalking." I heard her say.

"I'm sorry, what?"

My ears could hardly believe what she had said. But then she said it again. "I'm stalking."

"Me?" I nervously asked.

"Pfft, no." I had a brief feeling of relief, but that was crushed soon after her next statement. "I'm stalking Marisa." Her claim was strengthened by the fact that in her hand was a book titled 'How to passively stalk a person in black in front of you."

That's right. Marisa also lived in the Forest of Magic, albeit nowhere near my house. I thought that staring at her all class would be enough for her sick urges, but it appeared to be not.

I sighed, and then asked her with a more serious voice. "You're still not over her?" I waited for a response but there was silence. "Face it; if you aren't going to take action, nothing will happen. I suggest you just move on and forget about something with a 0% chance of happening."

"But I can't! I just love the way she does her hair, the cute black witch hat with the purple stripe, how her body is –"

"I've heard enough! It's getting late; we'll talk about this later ok?" I stormed home trying to drown out all perverted thoughts that could arise.


	5. It All Makes Sense Now

This chapter will probably end up being one of my favorites, since it includes the crazy conspiracy theory (Which I actually came up with in my real life scenario), and the first danmaku battle, even though it was a short one. Attempting to describe a spell card attack is harder than you would think. I chose Scarlet Weather Rhapsody spell cards (And will probably for the rest of the story unless the particular character is not in that game AKA Nitori) because it is an easier visual for me, rather than just saying "Bullets scattered everywhere!"

Shanghai is Alice's doll, and I would say it's pretty canon that she would talk to it when no one else is around.

I put some Scarlet Weather Rhapsody images on a review of this chapter, to help you visualize the spell card battles better.

* * *

**Chapter 5: It All Makes Sense Now**

"Oh Shanghai, I can't sleep no matter how hard I try! There is just too much to think about to even consider resting." Talking to a doll is such a kid thing, but I do so anyways.

Awoken by the sound of the tap dripping, I lay in bed pondering about the events of today. There's more to Nitori than meets the eye…Patchy stalking Marisa…Am I really not good enough to beat Patchy in a danmaku fight? My main concern was Nitori, since the other problems can be more easily remedied. What did Aya mean when she said that?

All these questions cycled through my mind as the sun rose. With the birds chirping and the beautiful sight of the waking dawn, I headed to Moriya. At school, I caught a glimpse of Patchy talking with Nitori. When Patchy sat back at her desk, I went over to confirm something.

"Patchy, how long have you known Nitori?" I questioned.

"Since the beginning of the year." Patchy answered. "Although I don't think we could be considered friends until around February."

"I see." I retorted. February… That was the month of the movie fiend trip as well as Valentine's Day. It was also when Aya intimidated me with Valentine's questions and when Aya informed Nitori of my supposed weakness…It all makes sense now! With my newly acquired knowledge on the situation, I paid a visit to my favorite Tengu during lunch break.

"Ello Marga-" but I dragged her and told her to come with me before she could finish her trademark welcome. I ignored any other statements from her as we went to find a secluded location.

When we finally arrived at our destination, Aya demanded to know what in Gensokyo was going on. I took a deep breath as I prepared to explain my hypothesis.

"Ok Aya, I'm going to say this once so pay attention." I declared. Without any further interruptions from her, I began.

"Patchy wants to get her hands on Marisa. However, the only thing stopping her from doing so is me. Therefore, Patchy wants to eliminate me from the equation. Nitori hates my guts, and therefore would side with Patchy no matter the circumstance. After hearing about my supposed weakness from you, Nitori decided to befriend Patchy to extract more information from her. This was a perfect opportunity for Patchy, as in exchange for information, she could request Nitori to assist in any devilish plot against me. I've concluded that they are planning my downfall as I speak."

"Margatroid." Aya said.

"Yes?" I vainly answered.

"I'm impressed you thought this out so thoroughly, when I just said that there was more than meets the eye. I didn't even give you any leads. I'm not saying your hypothesis is wrong, but…"

"Hmm?" I waited for her to finish.

"But I think you have too much time on your hands to be thinking up conspiracy theories." She muttered.

"I talk to dolls, what do you think?"

"Good point."

After that bit of awkwardness, I revived the conversation. "So will you help me?"

"Why ask me?"

"Because you play for both fields, Patchy and Nitori would never expect that you would secretly be my inside guy." I assured her.

"Alright, but what do _I_ get in return?"

"I don't know…How about I give you permissions to write some crazy fan fiction about what happens at the end of all this?"

I silently waited for a reply, and after a few moments, she said "Margatroid, how about _you_ write the fan fiction, and I publish it in the Bunbunmaru?"

"Very well Shameimaru." Times were tough and I was desperate for some assistance countering whatever those two could concoct.

"There's just one question left unanswered." Aya said.

"And what's that?" I curiously asked.

"How about we have a danmaku fight? That way, you can try to blow my brains out like you said on the movie field trip." Before I could say anything, she demanded we had a spell card battle. With nothing better to do, I agreed to the battle.

"Alright Margatroid, we only have time for 1 card each before the break is over. You can go first."

I was thinking about which card to use when Aya yelled at me. "How about using your Hourai Dolls?"

"You aren't worth my best spell card." I arrogantly told her. With a card in mind, I summoned my strength and declared.

"Spy Sign, Seeker Dolls!" A simple spell card in which I bring out 7 of my dolls. Then they each fire a laser. The trick here is that not all of the dolls aim for my opponent, only a few will. This card requires them to have good prediction skills. This was always my style of danmaku play, to incorporate mind games into the battle.

"Margatroid, you think a couple of dolls are going to beat me? I'm the fastest girl in the school; your lasers are just a minor inconvenience at most!"

She was right, Aya managed to block the 3 lasers that were aiming for her. (Look at Spy Sign, Seeker Dolls image)

"Your dolls pack quite a punch Alice, but they leave you defenceless!" What she said was true. My main weakness in a danmaku fight is that I'm so busy controlling my dolls to attack, I can't properly defend myself. This is why I try to outsmart the opponent.

"Now it's my turn Margatroid! Breeze Sign, Opening Winds of Tengu Road!" I was still pulling my dolls back when I was hit by a powerful gust of wind. The sound on impact was loud enough to create a sonic boom. (Look at Breeze Sign, Opening Winds of Tengu Road image)

The force from the attack was strong enough to lift me several feet into the air. Finally, as the school bell rang, I came crashing down onto the dirt.

"Looks like I win Margatroid. Danmaku is about speed, if you hit your opponent quicker than they can react, then you've basically won half the battle. Remember that fact. You'll never beat Patchy if you play the way you did today." With that being said, Aya raced back to school. I got up from the ground, brushed off debris from my dress, and followed suit. What she had told me also made sense to me.


	6. Remote Sacrifice

Holy crap, someone actually read and posted a review. I told myself nearly a year ago when I postponed my writing that I would continue if I had a new review. It's not so much I had writers block, more that I always found something better to do with my time. Not to say I didn't continue writing this story, I just never bothered to post any new chapters up. So to anyone that still remembers or is currently reading this story, here's an update! I have the basic outline of how the story will progress; it's all in my head. Now if I can just turn it into text. Then we'll have the longest Touhou Fanfiction ever. Wa ha ha!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Remote Sacrifice**

"Danmaku is about speed, huh?" My philosophy on spell card battles always was that the most strategic one would win. But what use is strategy if I don't even have time to execute my plans? I did have something that I had been working on in this respect for some time now. However, it was far from completion, and I was still tweaking the mechanics of it.

"It's not even a spell card! If I were to use that in battle I would certainly win, even if it is a bit dangerous." A bad habit of mine was that I would always think out loud. If anyone had been in my house at this time, surely they would label me insane and send me to see a psychiatrist. Luckily for me, the only one to hear my crazy ranting was Shanghai.

I decided I would need a second opinion on the matter, so I called my good friend Aya over. Within a few minutes, she came barging in with that annoying way she addresses everyone; by their last name. "Ello Margatroid! What's up?"

"Would it kill you to knock first?" I told her angrily.

"Well why did you call me over? Got a scoop for the Bunbunmaru?" Aya said with anticipation.

"Not everything in life is a story Aya."

"Not unless you make it one!"

I realized the uselessness in arguing with her and just got to the point. "Aya, I just need a second opinion."

"Alright." She said with dying enthusiasm.

I grabbed my doll and we headed into the Forest of Magic. The Forest of Magic was filled a vast number of trees, which blocked most of the sunlight. This made it a haven for youkai to lurk, but they were the least of my worries.

After approximately ten minutes of wandering around, Aya entered the shoes of a kid sitting at the back of a car. "Are we there yet?"

I sighed and told her that we were looking for a relatively empty area.

"But we're in the middle of nowhere!" Aya complained constantly until I finally snapped.

"That's the point!" I retorted. "This spot is good enough."

"What is it that you want to show me which requires calling me over during the weekend and walking to an entirely desolate location for almost half an hour?!" Her temper was at its limit.

"It isn't completely desolate, with the trees and all, but I suppose that won't be the case in a moment's time." I had Goosebumps while saying that, realizing that it might actually be true.

"What are you talking about Alice? Spill it already!" Aya always addressed me by first name when she was the one being annoyed as opposed to her being the annoying one.

"This." I showed her the doll that I had lugged around all this time. On the surface, it was just another generic doll that I made. The mechanics inside however, are a tale for another day.

"A doll?" Aya inquired. "I've known you for quite some time; it's not like that's an uncommon sight." As I've mentioned before, Aya was one of my oldest friends. I knew her ever since elementary school, when I first moved here from Makai.

"Aya, you told me danmaku was about speed. Well, I decided to consider that maxim. I want you to be my test subject. After all, you're the fastest-"

"Fastest in Moriya High," she intervened. "Margatroid, hit me with anything you got! I'll graze it to Youkai Mountain and back! Whenever you're ready!"

I was glad that her enthusiasm had returned. Even though I knew Aya was fast, I was still hesitant she might not be able to handle what was in store. Putting that doubt aside, I pulled the string on the doll. Instantly, an orange-yellow laser fired forward. Aya barely grazed it, her clothes slightly ruined.

"Wow," was all she could say while still dazzled at what had just happened. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Of course not," I defended. "I know you're fast enough."

I observed the surroundings and assured that my hypothesis was correct. Everything in the path of the attack had been vaporized; there wasn't a trace of the trees, vegetation, or anything else. I went to examine the damages to my doll and noticed that only ashes had remained.

"Margatroid, what in Gensokyo was that?!" She asked in awe.

Realizing that Aya was not the brightest pea in the pod, so I explained the mechanics in terms she could comprehend.

"I stored powerful magic in the doll. I then enchanted it with a seal to prevent it from activating prematurely. The string that I pulled broke that seal, and the magic that was trapped inside gets released with an incredible force. The end result is what you just witnesses with your own two eyes. It is the Remote Sacrifice. My inspiration comes from Marisa's Master Spark."

"I rather endure the full blast of a Master Spark than try and dodge that again; it was seriously too close. If you want a second opinion on this matter, for that was the reason you called me here, I highly recommend never, ever, using it again! You could seriously hurt someone!"

I had been thinking of the dangers of my Remote Sacrifice way before this lecture from Aya, and I would have to agree with what she said.

"I'll pick my opponents carefully," was all I said.


	7. The Disappearance of Patchouli Knowledge

Merry Christmas! My present to Touhou fans everywhere, a crappy fanfiction chapter! I've done enough introductory chapters to actually advance the plot now, so huzzahs all around for that! If there is time, I might add the next chapter before the new year. Finally, the title of this chapter is obviously a reference, which most of you should be able to identify.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Disappearance of Patchouli Knowledge**

For the past week, I had stayed at my abode modifying Remote Sacrifice. I might have been missing out on my course work, but this was important to me. Besides, we all need a vacation every now and then. After many sleepless nights of complex experimentation and calculation, my project had reached completion.

"There, the perfect combination of power, speed, and beauty!" I experienced a satisfaction similar to that of when finishing a major school assignment; the only difference was that Remote Sacrifice would actually be of some use to me.

"Shanghai, this isn't too dangerous, is it?" Like always, there was no reply. "Oh how I dream of the day that my skills become proficient enough to fabricate an independent doll!" However, that day was not today, and it was early Monday morning. I had missed enough classes already and it was time to rejoin my fellow students in Moriya High.

My homeroom seemed somewhat different. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was certain there was something missing. Perhaps my week-long insomnia has warped my perception of reality.

The warning bell rung, which indicated that there was only five minutes until class officially started. I saw Marisa walk cheerfully into the classroom; at least that remained the same. But I was positive there was something amiss, something out of the ordinary to say the least. "It could be those new flowers, or maybe a few students had their seating arrangement changed."

While still brainstorming ideas on what was wrong, Ms. Kamishirasawa approached my desk. "Oh no," I thought, "I'm going to get it now…"

"Alice," she began, but I wouldn't let her finish.

"Ms. Kamishirasawa, I can explain everything." I was ready to bombard her with hundreds of brilliantly concocted excuses.

"Really?" She asked. "Then could you tell me where Patchouli is?"

This was one question I was not prepared for. Although I couldn't answer her query, it did shed some light on my predicament. The thing that disordered the equilibrium I was accustomed to was not something new, but the absence of something old. Every morning, I savored the look on Patchouli's face when I was getting close with Marisa. The lack of fresh air these past days has really hindered my cognitive skills greatly.

"Patchouli?" I said in a dumbfounded manner. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that she hasn't been to class recently, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it seeing as you two seem to be close friends."

"Well-"

"While we're on that topic, why were _you_ absent last week?"

"I'm sorry sensei; I had a personal issue to deal with at home. Everything's alright now though." This wasn't a lie; I was merely stretching the truth. One thing you should know about me is that I am a master of improvisation. That skill alone has gotten me through the majority of my life as a student.

"Don't worry, Alice, I understand." Sometimes I think Ms. Kamishirasawa is too gullible, but that can only result in benefitting me, so I won't complain! "Be sure to inform me if you hear anything new."

Patchouli was never one to play hooky, so I knew something was out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, all the neurons in my brain could not fathom a reason for her sudden disappearance. Maybe someone else is holding the answer, but whom? As much as I despised to do so, I had no choice but to dance with the devil after class ended.

The lunch bell finally rang, and I leaned nonchalantly near the door. As she finally attempted to leave, I unleashed some puppeteer string to partially block the exit in the same fashion a spider spins a web. A beautiful show indeed, but the devil was not at all impressed.

"Nitori" I addressed her while finishing my intricate string pattern.

"Out of my way! You're using up the one thing that even my brilliance can't invent; time!" It seems like her attitude was another thing that remained unchanged during my absence.

"This is about Patchouli." I said while increasing my tone with her.

"What about Patchouli?" Nitori's reply implied that she didn't really care.

"Why isn't she going to school?" I asked.

"How would I know?" Again, she didn't sound like she cared.

"You two are close, so I thought you might have an idea."

"Well maybe I do and maybe I don't." She said with her signature smirk. After not seeing that for what seemed like forever, the moment my eyes locked into contact with it, I went berserk.

"This is important!" The sudden burst of my voice resulted in Ms. Kamishirasawa giving us a queer look. Until now, she was unaware of our little quarrel, and was busy grading our assignments.

"Alice, Nitori, settle your personal disputes outside of the classroom." Ms. Kamishirasawa told us.

"Very well, Margatroid." Nitori said. "Let's have a spell card battle."

"I don't have time for-"

"If you win," she interrupted, "then I'll answer one question a hundred per cent truthfully."

She had acquired my interest, but I was reluctant to ask what the consequences were if I were to lose.

"If you lose…" After a momentary silence, she finally continued. "Then you must do anything I tell you to do without question."

"How is that fair?" I objected.

"How is it not fair?" Nitori retorted. "If you win, I'll do anything you tell me without question. I just know that you'll use that prize to ask me what has happened to Patchouli, so I merely reconstructed the conditions of the competition to better adhere to your needs."

I never had a spell card battle with Nitori before, so I'm completely clueless on what she has up her sleeves. I wanted to accept this wager, but I could only imagine what Nitori could ask me to do if she beat me. Nevertheless, this was the only way to acquire the information that I desired.

"Well?" Nitori pressured me.

"Very well. After school, at the school's Danmaku Battlefield."

I retracted my puppeteer strings, and with one last smirk, Nitori left the classroom to attend to her own matters. The rest of lunchtime sped right by me; I was too consumed by what I had just done in agreeing to this.

"Danmaku is about speed, if you hit your opponent quicker than they can react, then you've basically won half the battle. Remember that fact." Those words kept echoing inside my head. "Well Aya, I guess it's time to test your advice!


	8. Water You Waiting For

Don't worry, I'm still alive. I will update more frequently, now that it'll take me 2 hours to get to University. A lot of bus time means a lot of free time for writing!

Also, yes there is a Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's reference. It's a pretty good anime once you get past the fact that they're playing a children's card game on motorcycles.

PS: Sorry for the lame pun, I couldn't resist.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Water You Waiting For?**

"…and as a result, water molecules can form a weak link called a hydrogen bond."

My last class for the day was Biology, and Ms. Yagokoro was teaching us about the many properties of water. The lessoned seemed very interesting, as I was always a scientific kind of girl, but I was more transfixed on my spell card battle with Nitori after school. I knew that Nitori was technologically savvy, but that meant that I had to be prepared for anything she might use against me.

"No! It doesn't work at all!" My extremely bad habit of thinking out loud attracted the attention of all the students, as well as the teacher. Inevitably, this led to Ms. Yagokoro scholding me.

"If you can't keep up with my lessons, Alice, maybe you should consider after school tutoring!"

After that unpleasant display of classroom delinquency, the lesson resumed. However, I paid no attention to it, and merely gazed out the window, still deep in thought. The remaining minutes of school passed by almost instantly, and the familiar sound of the school bell broke my train of thought.

As the students left the classroom, Ms. Yagokoro gave us a friendly reminder. "Students, remember to study for your test next class. It will cover everything that you have learned this unit." A test was the least of my worries, for now was the moment of truth. Every step I took was a step closer to settling my prolonged dispute with Nitori.

"Margatroid!" I could hear Aya call for me from a distance, but I ignored her cry for attention and proceeded to the Danmaku Battlefield. My mind was thinking of only one thing, and that was "What the hell happened to Patchouli?"

The time was now 3:30 PM. I stood alone in the center of the magnificent arena that was the Danmaku Battlefield. Moriya High had one of the most prestigious battlefields in all of Gensokyo, which was one of the reasons I decided to attend this school. The battlefield itself is truly a sight to behold. At first glance, the battlefield is just an empty, spacious room. However, one can only experience its splendor first hand; through a Danmaku battle!

"I'm here." My voice echoed around the room, but there was no reply. Even so, it didn't seem like I was the only one here.

Finally, I heard the Kappa's voice. "I think I've kept you waiting long enough."

I surveyed the room, but I failed to see anyone else. "Where are you, Nitori? Don't play games with me."

"I'm right here, Alice." As I turned my back, I could see the staunch, green figure behind me. "You can't always trust your eyes, Alice. You should know that by now."

"Let's get this over with," I demanded. "I have a Biology test to study for and I really don't have time for games."

"As you wish." Nitori slowly walked towards the control panel. The control panel was located at the center of the right wall of the room. It was what controlled the Danmaku Battlefield; a combination of technology and magic. "Since I am the initiator of this battle, we'll play using my rules. We'll use three spell cards each; first to win two rounds is the victor."

When she finally arrived, she took out a card, and placed it in the appropriate slot. Then she pressed the button that was adjacent to it. A computerized voice announced, "Kappa World, set on," as the room began to transform. Preparations were now complete.

What had just been a blank room was now a shimmering valley, Kappa Valley to be more specific. Kappa Valley is located at the base of Youkai Mountain, and obviously it is where the Kappa resides. The main attractions of the valley are the river that flowed through the middle, and the waterfall, which is where the river begins.

This was an example of a Field Spell Card. Before a Danmaku battle, one of the participants can change the battlefield using their personal Field Spell Card. It adds atmosphere to the room. After all, Danmaku is an expression of beauty. I also have a Field Spell Card, Doll World, but I rarely use it. The reason for that is because as Nitori had already mentioned, the initiator of the battle has jurisdiction over the rules. This meant that they decide how many spell cards, as well as what environment the battle will take place in.

When Nitori was finally on the opposite side of the room, I shouted to her, "Make your move!" As I spoke those words, Nitori began to disappear until there was no trace of her left. I rubbed my eyes vigorously to remove any residue, and looked again. My original assumption was ascertained; Nitori had vanished.

"Alice…" The room echoed my name. However, it was a much stronger echo than before, mainly because of the battlefield's new appearance. Everything that the battlefield generated was real.

"Your tricks won't work on me, Nitori." I knew she was just playing mind games. "You can't intimidate me like this!"

"Alice, if you wish to beat me, you cannot rely on your senses alone. You must have a mind as clear as water. But I doubt you are capable of even that."

The time for talk was over as Nitori declared her first Spell Card.

"Water Sign – Hydro Camouflage!"

The water in the river began to shimmer; not much of a surprise as most of the valley composed of the liquid that was necessary for life. The water had now begun to materialize, forming ribbon-like threads of water, which danced in a sinusoidal fashion. It was like one of those fancy water fountains that I saw in Kourindo's shop a little while back.

I now know the reason for Nitori using Kappa World. Her Danmaku is water, so in an environment lacking it, Kappa World can compensate. I never experience this problem, as I carry all my dolls, which is the source for my own Danmaku.

When in a Danmaku battle, you never really have the time to appreciate the beauty of the patterns that someone can create. Nitori's Danmaku was no exception. If I was not the one battling her, I would most definitely applaud her creativity.

The ribbons vibrated with increased speed, until finally, they shattered into the familiar shapes of spherical Danmaku, which suspended in the air. It was a beautiful, yet scary, sight. As the water balls headed towards me, there wasn't much I could do but prepare to graze them. In a Danmaku Battle, whoever hits their opponent first wins that round.

It was clear that I had a huge handicap. Nitori is at home in Kappa World, while my dolls don't react too well with water. The fact that I couldn't see Nitori only added to my dilemma.

"Alice, there's only one question left for you to answer," Nitori said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Water you waiting for?"


	9. Miscalculation

**Chapter 9 - Miscalcuation**

As obnoxious as Nitori was, she had made a valid point. What exactly was I waiting for? Perhaps a latent fear of being offensive had suddenly emerged. Or maybe I was just thinking too much again. Whatever the reason for my hesitation, one thing was clear: I couldn't keep grazing danmaku all day. I admit it wasn't a difficult task to accomplish, seeing as blobs of water can only go so fast. Their speed, compared to other danmaku, was laughable. Even so, it would be unwise to let my guard down, just in case she had another trick up her sleeve.

It was time for a counter attack. "Formation 10C!"

I don't mean to gloat, but I consider myself the master tactician. One inherent benefit to having an external medium – in other words, my dolls – fire my danmaku is that the barrage is not transfixed in one spot; this makes it harder for my opponents to react, since their peripheral vision cannot encompass the entire environment. To organize my tactics, I use notation to tell my dolls where to position themselves and what attack to prepare for.

In the case of 10C, it is a simple carousel formation. Eight dolls form a uniform circle around me. The circle's circumference surrounds the entire arena, and they can move inward at my discretion. Two more dolls finish the formation, for a total of ten dolls. The first of the two replace my position in the center of the circle, while the second is directly above it. The second doll is an appreciable distance above, thus giving me a way to literally hang around while I watch the show.

Now that everything was in position, I pulled the string connected to the central doll. This caused the doll to explode, releasing the Seeker Wire, a blazing red laser. The dolls forming the circle act as nodes, which reflect the wire towards another doll. The dolls move inward and outward, as well as clockwise and counterclockwise, while they keep reflecting the seeker wire, until finally it hits something organic; in this case it would be Nitori.

"Pathetic, Alice." The Kappa's voice echoed. "You think a single laser will hit me? Do you know the probability of that?"

"Not likely," I responded. "But set theory proposes that more trials will result in a higher probability."

Since I was literally hanging on by a thread, it was hard to get in the right position, as I still had to graze her danmaku. Eventually, I managed to take out two more dolls; these were smaller than my regular ones. I threw them down so that they would hit the seeker wire, and as they did, the laser split into three parts.

"Think you can handle three?" I was confident that three lasers would be practically impossible to dodge over a prolonged period of time. However, the lasers continued to bounce off the dolls, indicating that they had not hit their target.

"Alice, I'll admit that this laser show of yours is quite impressive." A compliment from Nitori; how rare.

"Well, danmaku is all about beauty." I replied with a bold voice.

"Unfortunately, that's where you have it wrong."

"Oh?"

"You can't win with beauty. Danmaku is about intellect. You have to be able to outsmart your opponent in order to seize victory. That's a simple case when dealing with you."

Nitori's camouflage had disappeared and I could finally see her in the water. No wonder the lasers never hit her; she was below ground level. I had completely forgotten about the environment change right at the beginning, and that would cost me the round.

"Alice, are you aware of the properties of water?" Nitori asked out of the blue.

"Of course I am. I need to be to pass my test tomorrow."

"Well consider this an afterschool tutoring session. Water has a specific heat capacity of 4180 joules per Kelvin. This allow water to absorb a plethora of heat before changing state. Now watch what happens when my danmaku collide with your lasers."

Nitori positioned her danmaku in front of my dolls, and as my lasers made contact with them, steam began to enshroud the arena, making it impossible to see. However, Nitori's voice was still clear as crystal.

"Do you know how rainbows are formed?" Nitori asked me in the mist.

"Well-" Nitori continued without giving me a chance to answer.

"The sun's light reflects on the droplets of moisture in the atmosphere. You could therefore consider water to be a simple prism, capable of diverging light."

"So what?" I impatiently asked.

"So you lose this round!"

While distracted by Nitori's lecturing, a laser had struck my back; it was my own. The force snapped my support thread and I fell to the ground. Even though danmaku was magical and did not hurt – to some extent at least – any physical damages were very real.

"Is that the best you've got Alice?" Nitori emerged as the steam had finally cleared. "If so, this wasn't worth my time."

"Maybe it is my best." I struggled to get back on my feet after that collision, which was anything but pleasant. "However, even against a superior opponent, I will stand up and continue to fight."

"Heh" It was an anomaly for Nitori to laugh, seeing as how serious she was all the time.

"What?"

"You're stubborn Alice. I like that"

"What are you getting at?"

"You can learn a lot about someone through a danmaku battle, that's all. I see now why Patchouli has an interest in you."

"Does that mean you know where she is?"

"Perhaps. Shall we continue?"

I dusted off my dress and finished regaining my posture. "I believe the winner of the previous round picks their spell card first," I finally said.


End file.
